This disclosure relates to devices to reduce vibration and shock energies that occur during transportation of empty glass containers, glass or plastic containers filled with sensitive drug product or drug substance, medical device components, computers and computer components, automobile parts, which may be damaged by elevated levels of either shock or vibration when transported between or within manufacturing sites or within a plant, to the next point of use.
Pallets are frequently used to ship empty glass containers, glass or plastic containers filled with sensitive drug product or drug substance, medical device components, computers, computer components, automobile parts (hereafter referred to as “the product”) between or within manufacturing sites or to the next point of use. At the manufacturer's site, the product may be placed in cartons. Boxes or some subassemblies may be directly secured to the pallet. The palletized product is loaded onto trucks, or intermodal containers, or in-plant carts for transfer to the next station for further processing or distribution and sale via air, road, or ocean.
For the shock and vibration sensitive product, the transport damage incurred, whether detected or not, continues to have an impact throughout all subsequent process steps and result in loses at each step. Gross breakage is readily identified upon receipt of the product but unidentified flaws present product quality issues that may not be identified until failure in-use. When there is product-to-product contact or container to product contact, the shock and vibration causes surface scratching and creates the necessary surface flaws that will result in damages that occur at any time during further processing or during use of the product.
In some applications, the pallet is unwrapped and sanitized prior to being moved into a clean room. From there, the product may be washed or sterilized. Since the product may be shipped to other sites within the supply chain for additional processing, product must again be transported by road, air or sea. In addition, vibration energies have a significant impact on materials that may be contained within the product container. Moreover, in the case of medicines, the breakage of a filled glass container means more than just the loss of a container—it means the loss of a potentially life-saving pharmaceutical product.
Unlike shock events that may be unpredictable and are usually isolated to the mishandling of one or more pallets, vibration is a constant transport hazard that is present on all pallets every time the pallets are placed in transit. There is an unmet need to reduce product breakage and flaws incurred during transportation.